Method of manufacturing pens



Jan. 5, 1937. I e. E. BARTOL. JR 2,067,040

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PENS Fil ed Ma 25, 1934 Patented Jan. 5, 1937 METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PENS .George E. Bartol, Jr., Wynnewood, Pa., assignor to 0. Howard Hunt Pen Company, Camden, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method for manufacturing pens. The invention has particular reference to and utility in connection with pens 7 adapted for use in fountain pen holders, although the article is not limited to such use.

' 'More specifically, the invention is concerned with the production of pens of a type having tips which are bent to increase the thickness and smoothness of the writing point. It might also be mentioned that I prefer to fabricate the pens from some alloy steels such as a chromium-nickel alloy.

Some of the important and general objects of the invention include increasing the durability l5 and improving. the writing characteristics of Other objects of the invention include the production of 'a pen in which the slit or slot in the tip is of tapered width from the writing point upwardly between the nibs, so as effectively to feed the ink downwardly by capillary action; the

arrangement of the nibs to bring the tips thereof into contact with each other and preferably under some slight tension, this being of special importance where bent tabs appear at the writing tip; and the use of certain grooving toward the base of the nibs, in a particular manner more fully brought out herebelow, so as to provide resilience and therefore improve the writing action.

How the foregoing objects and advantages, together with others which will occur to those skilled in the art, may be obtained, will be apparent from the following discussion taken with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of a. fiat pen blank made in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a partial view similar to Figure 1,

illustrating an additional step of the process of 5o manufacture;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are further enlarged, detail and somewhat diagrammatic views showing additional process steps;

, Figure 5a is a top plan view of the blank fol- 55 lowing the slotting operation shown in Figure 5;

Figure 4. As seen in Figure 3, the tip part of the Application May- 23, 1934, Serial No. 727,077

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a completed pen;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the pen of Figure 6, the last two views being substantially on the scale of Figures 1 and 2; and 5 Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the section line 8-8 on Figure 7.

In the production of pens of the type here under consideration, the pen blanks are preferably stamped out of flat sheet metal ribbons, and in 10 Figure 1 a pen blank appears as having a heel part 8 and a nib part 9. At opposite sides of the tip a pair'of laterally projecting tabs |0-l0 appear, these tabs projecting beyond the marginal outline of the pen to be formed, as clearly seen '15 in Figures 1 and 2. While it is not esesntial, I

prefer also to provide the pen with a pierce hole 4 ll toward the base of the nib.

According to this invention, subsequent to the formation of the flat blank appearing in Figure 1, the penis provided with a pair of grooves l3-I3 each of which is preferably extended from a point adjacent the pierce hole ii to a point adjacent the base of the nib at the outer edge thereof as at H, for reasons to be mentioned more 25 fully herebelow.

In the course of manufacture, according to this invention, the tip part of each blank is subjected to a two-stage bending operation, the first of which appears in Figure 3 and the second in pen is placed over a suitable block or thelike l5 having a groove in its working surface, and a tool i6 is brought down against the pen in the manner shown so as to bend the tabs Ill-40 substantially along the marginal outline of the pen toward one side of the flat pen blank until these ,tabs extend in planes approximately at right angles to each other at each side of a small central area Illa. Following this operation the pens 40 are placedbe'tween the relatively movable elements l1 and [8 in an edgewise position so as to bend the tabs 01'' wings I0I0 into' spaced but substantially parallel planes as clearly seen-in Figure 4. A stop diagrammatically shown at I9 45 serves to prevent excessive bending of the tabs. From Figure 4 it will be seen that the central area Illa still remains and that the wings l0l0 at opposite sides of this central area define a U- shaped trough as compared-with the generally V-shaped trough after the operation of Figure 3. Following the foregoing bending operations, the metal of the blank between the tabs i0|0 is cut out, preferably by means of a thin abrasive wheel or equivalent sawing device. This operation appears in Figure 5 audit is especially pointed out that the parallel and spaced tabs l0l0 are employed as guides for the abrasive wheel 20,

this wheel being inserted therebetween at the small area Ilia at the pen tip, hereinbefore mentioned, so that the metal which is cut out will permit the tabs to be brought into contact with each other in the manner described herebelow.

As seen in Figure 5a the operation of Figure 5 produces a parallel edge slot 22a which, as brought out herebelow, is subsequently closed at the tip of the pen.

Referring now to Figures 6 and '7 which are side elevational and top plan views of a completed pen, after the slotting operation the pens are formed or raised to give them rounded pen point configuration. According to this invention the raising operation is carried out, as by means of cooperating shaped dies, in a manner to droop" the nib of the pen slightly, as clearly seen in Figure 6 at 2 I. The rounding of the pen and drooping of the nib cooperate to bring the tabs l0 into contact with each other, at least adjacent the writing tip, and these operations are preferably carried out so as to place the tabs under. a slight initial tension. Another important effect of the raising and drooping operations is the tapering of the slot 22 (see Fig. '7) in a manner which effects a desirable capillary action in feeding ink from a region in the neighborhood of the pierce hole II to the tip. I

It is further pointed out that the particular arrangement of grooves I3 is of advantage in connection with the drooping operation and also in improving resilience of the nib even though the pen be median: fairly thick and therefore stifi sheet metal stock. A groove I3 is extended across the base part. of each nib from a point adjacent the upper end of the slot 22 (or adjacent to the pierce hole where this latter is provided) to a point at the outer edge of the pen at or adjacent to the junction of the nib and heel parts. The

importance of this will be understood to better advantage if it be remembered that the side portions of the heel 8, after the raising operation, lie in substantially upright or vertical planes, in view of which, bending of the metal adjacent the base of the nib would requirevery heavy pressure in writing, even when the pen is formed of relatively thin sheet metal stock. By grooving the pen across the nibs at opposite sides of the central slot and extending the grooves to a point at or closely adjacent to the junction of the heel part with the nib, materially improved flexibility is secured since very little if any upright or vertical metal remains in front of the grooves. While, as indicated, the outer end of each groove l3 terminatesin the neighborhood of the junction point between the heel and nib, it might further be mentioned that the point of termination may also be slightly above the junction point although approximately no farther than the thickness of the metal of which the pen is formed, according to my preferred practice.

According to the foregoing, I am enabled to produce relatively inexpensive pens, especially for fountain pen use, which pens have materially improved writing characteristics and increased strength and life, as compared with prior developments. The tabs at the tip of the pen, of course, provide a writing point of relatively great thickness or depth, so that the pen will not rapidly wear to a sharp edge or point. In addition, the grooving at the base of the nib is of advantage as above described and this particular grooving also defines or establishes lines of flexibility adjacent to the base of the nib so that the pen has improved resilience.

While securing the advantages mentioned above, the invention also provides a tapered slot for ink flow, as a result of which capillary action may efiectively draw the ink downwardly from a fountain pen feeder to the contacting tips formed by the bending operations.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of pens, the method which includes forming a metallic pen blank having tabs'projecting at opposite sides of the pen tip-in the general plane of the blank, bending said tabs toward one side of the blank in spaced but substantially parallel relation, and utilizing said spaced tabs as guides for a cutting tool introduced therebetween and cutting out the metal between the tabs with such cutting tool.

2. In the manufacture of pens, the method which includes forming a metallic pen blank having tabs projecting at opposite sides of the pen tip, bending said tabs toward one side of the blank into relatively angled positions to form a trough therebetween having divergent side walls, subsequently additionally bending said tabs into substantially parallel, but spaced planes to form a substantially U-shaped trough for the reception of a sawing device, and utilizing said spaced'tabs to guide the sawing. device in cutting the tip portion of the pen to form nibs.

3. In the manufacture of pens, the method which includes forming a metallic pen blank having tabs projecting at opposite sides of the pen tip, bending said tabs toward one side of the blank into relatively angled positions to form a trough therebetween having divergent side walls, subsequently additionally bending said tabs into substantially parallel, but spaced planes to form a substantially U-shaped trough for the recep tion of a sawing device, utilizing said spaced tabs to guide the sawing device in cutting the tip portion of the pen to form nibs, and bending said nibs to bring the tabs into contact with each other adjacent the writing tip.

4. In the manufacture of pens, the steps of forming a pen blank having tabs projecting laterally from opposite sides of the tip beyond the marginal outline of pen to be formed, bending said tabs in a direction transverse of the plane of the blank on lines substantially coinciding with said marginal outline, the bent tabs being spaced from each other, thereafter cutting out and removing a strip of metal extending along the major axis of the pen and between said bent tabs, the width of said strip being substantially equal to thespace between said tabs to form a pair of nib parts with a slot therebetween, and bending the nib parts to bring said tabs together and substantially close saiclslot at the writing tip of the pen, but leave said slot open toward its inner end.

5. In the manufacture of pens, the steps of forming a pen blank having tabs projcting laterally from opposite sides of the tip beyond the marginal outline of pen to be formed, bending said tabs in a direction "transverse of the plane of the blank on lines substantially coinciding with said marginal outline, the bending being suflieientto form a trough having divergent side walls, subsequently additionally bending the tabs to bring them into substantially parallel but spaced relation. thereafter cutting out and removing a strip of metal extending along the major axis of the pen and between said bent tabs the width of said strip being substantially equal to the space between said tabs to form a pair of nib parts with a slot therebetween, and bending the nib parts to bringsaid tabs together and substantially close said slot at the writing tip of the pen, but leave said slot open toward its inner end.

6. In the manufacture of pens. the steps of iorming a pen blank having tabs projecting laterally from opposite sides of the tip beyond the marginal outline of pen to be formed, bending said tabs in a direction transverse oi the plane of the blank on lines substantially coinciding with said marginal outline, the bending being suillcient to bring the tabs into substantially parallel but spaced relation, thereafter cutting out and removing a strip of metal extending along the major axis of the pen and between said bent tabs, the width of said strip being substantially equal to the space between said tabs to form a pair of nib parts with a slot therebetween, and bending the nib parts to bring said tabs together and substantially close said slot at the writing tip of the pen. but leaves said slot open toward its inner end.

GEORGE E. BARTOL, Ja. 

